CARIBBEAN HOTEL AND TOURISM ASSOCIATION

Caribbean Hotelier of the Year

The Caribbean Hotelier of the Year Award, the highest honor bestowed by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, recognizes excellence in Caribbean hotel operations by demonstrating superior achievement in: Resort Operations, Food & Beverage, Marketing and Sales, Resort Maintenance, Staff Training and Motivation, Innovative Management, Environmental Practices, Community Affairs, and Involvement with National and Regional (CHTA) lodging industry associations.

We invite National Hotel Associations to submit their local nominee for this prestigious award.

NOMINEE INFORMATION: (Please print clearly or type)

Nominee’s Name:

Title:

Hotel:

National Hotel Association:

SELECTION CRITERIA Must be an active and current CHTA member engaged in the day-to-day operation of a hotel/resort to be considered and rated in accord with the criteria listed below.

Community Affairs Involvement including Innovation, Environmental Practices, Community Affairs, Involvement in respective National Hotel Association and Involvement in CHTA

60% Operations including Hotel Management, Food & Beverage Management, Sales & Marketing, Hotel Maintenance and Staff Training and Motivation

40%

I. NOMINATION SUPPORT MATERIAL Briefly explain why or how this candidate has excelled in the following areas. Attach to this application all supporting materials. Maximum allowed pages,

including support material: 8 pages.

II. ACHIEVEMENTS IN COMMUNITY AFFAIRS INVOLVEMENT, BOTH ON A LOCAL AND REGIONAL LEVEL.

A. A proven commitment to the promotion of hospitality and tourism on a regional level including participation in the mission of CHTA (to advance the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Industry). (Has the nominee shown leadership and involvement in Association projects and issues?)

B. Level of involvement with the National Hotel Association

C. A proven commitment to community affairs and the promotion of hospitality and tourism at a local level: (Does the nominee have good relations with civic, social, government and industry leaders? Has the nominee served on community organizations? Does the nominee project a positive image for the industry in the community at large?)

III. ACHIEVEMENTS IN CARIBBEAN HOTEL OPERATIONS A. Operational Management (Front desk, reservations, housekeeping, repairs

& maintenance, meeting services) B. Food & Beverage Management (Cost control, menu planning, use of

Caribbean food products, restaurant décor, theme planning) C. Marketing and Sales (Sales promotion, advertising, public relations, printed

materials, etc.) D. Hotel Maintenance (Building & Grounds, timely renovations, innovations

and improving visual appeal of property)

E. Staff Training and Motivation (Procedures programs undertaken to

improve professional level of staff incentive programs, etc.) F. Innovation & Creative Management (Innovative ideas unique to the

industry that have been adapted at the hotel e.g. building design, guest relations programs, themes, etc.)

G. Environmental Practices (environmental management & stewardship, conservation of natural resources, environmental awareness, infrastructure & technology, energy conservation, health & safety, etc.)

IV. BRIEFLY DESCRIBE WHY THIS CANDIDATE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FOR THE CARIBBEAN HOTELIER OF THE YEAR AWARD.

Nomination Submitted By:

Name:

Title:

Association/Property/Company:

Tel: ( ) Fax: ( )

E-mail Address:

Submission Information: Nominations must be received by the

Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association no later than December 30, 2017. Attention: Martha Valdivia

Supporting documentation can be received electronically and must be

received by CHTA no later than January 15, 2018.

For questions or additional information please contact us at: Tel: 786-476-8619 Email: martha@caribbeanhotelandtourism.com Website: www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com

For more information, please visit our website at www.caribbeanhotelandtourism.com Page 1

Mr. Chris Ghita General Manager Ocean Terrace Inn

BIOGRAPHY

Chris Ghita, a Grenadian national from humble beginnings spent his early years in

Venezuela, then, later returned to his place of birth in Grenada. Upon earning, his high

school diploma, Chris Ghita, joined the hotel industry in 1993 as a waiter at both; Indigos Inn

Hotel and Rex Grenadian before joining Spice Island Beach Resort as a Senior Waiter in

1995. Chris Ghita, exhibited true perseverance, by constantly working hard and showing his

dedication to the hotel industry. With an immense passion to thrive he was able to ascend in

his career path where he worked in multiple areas such as; Steward, Maintenance Technician,

Houseman and Front Desk Agent.

Committed to growth, Chris Ghita, spent several years shadowing his superiors which paid

off as he was promoted to a Head Bartender, then a Food and Beverage Supervisor, followed

by a Maître D, and lastly a Food and Beverage Manager. Chris Ghita, was able to move

through the ranks by not only observing but also understanding that education and training

was vital to his development of becoming a General Manager one day. Therefore, he never

passed up the opportunity to go through extensive training and further pursue his education

from countless hospitality institutions including; Ritz Carlton in Key Biscayne, Sandals

Resort International, Rainbow Investments in St. Lucia and many more. Chris Ghita, knew in

order to be versatile he needed to also attend universities related to the hospitality industry to

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ensure success. The universities joined, comprised of; American Hotel Lodging and

Education Institute, St. Georges University, Grenada Hospitality Management Degree

Program, George Brown University in Ontario, Canada, Gothenburg University, Sweden

University and Southpoint University.

His unrelenting efforts, education, experience and talent when combined qualified him for

the position of Assistant Manager at Spice Island Beach Resort in 2005. At the age of 29,

Chris Ghita left Spice Island Beach Resort to manage Mount Cinnamon Beach Resort, a 21-

bedroom boutique hotel in the capacity of Operations Manager/General Manager. He spent

two years in that capacity before venturing off to find new challenges, where he went to St.

Lucia to manage The Village Inn Spa in Rodney Bay. Steadfast, on his course for knowledge

and advancement, he went on to manage Palm Island Resort in the Grenadines where he left

after three years to manage the Galley Bay Resort and Spa in Antigua. After two and a half

years with the Galley Bay Resort & Spa he went on to manage the Sandals White House a

360-bedroom hotel in South of Jamaica. He also served as Hotel Manager at Sandals

Montego Bay and Sandals Royal Caribbean in Jamaica.

Achievements in Community Affairs Involvement, both on a Local and Regional Level

Chris Ghita, currently serves as General Manager at Ocean Terrace Inn (OTI) where he has

been focused on training and development. Some of the focal areas in which he has targeted

are; health and safety best practices, environmental sustainability and quality assurance. One

of his objectives is to provide a better understanding and instill the importance of learning the

tourism industry into the federation of St. Kitts-Nevis which is in the development stage. He

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has decided to use communities and schools to spread the awareness of the tourism industry

and product. To guarantee he reaches all audiences, he readily makes himself available for

prime time spots on the local broadcasting corporations to talk about the industry and its

sustainability. He habitually participates in radio programs and television adverts to edify the

public on the importance of keeping the environment safe and clean and its competitive edge.

On January 25th, 2017 after much deliberations between his executive management team and

himself, on which school to adopt and do a complete pilot program, the decision was made to

adopt the Irish Town Primary School. The school has 147 students and 13 faculty members

in a densely populated area in the city. Without much delay the hotel donated garbage

receptacles, cultivated a vegetable and flora garden, produced signage for plant and tree life

in and around the school, donated a banner to promote eco-friendly awareness, provided

monetary donations, attended school activities, raised funds and participated in the school’s

Sports Day. For the first time ever, in the summer of 2017 a locally owned and melanin rich

staffed hotel, launched a Summer Education Program for all faculty members of the Irish

Town Primary School to spend a weekend at the hotel and gain experience and education in

key areas. The faculty members completed daily educational and familiarization

responsibilities to include understudying the property management system (PMS),

specifically geographic locations and source codes, inventory control system, and the check-

in and check-out process. The hotel’s corporate responsibility did not just end with the

adaptation of the school but extended itself through an enormous amount of sponsorship for

young adults and educational fraternities, citing the importance of early childhood learning.

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Owing, to Ocean Terrace Inn (OTI) adapting all sustainable best practices, its affiliation,

corporate leadership, responsibility and leader in hotel destination sustainability in St.Kitts-

Nevis, Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) during their recently held Climate Smart

Conference dedicated a segment in their forum to a site visit of the Irish Town Primary

School, which was well received by the faculty and students.

Chris Ghita represented the Mount Cinnamon Beach Resort at the Caribbean Hotel

Association (CHA) in the Bahamas in 2007, unleashing an intense marketing campaign as

the hotel was newly opened. Over the years Mr. Ghita, continued to build upon his

involvement in many different ways such as being part of the Caribbean Tourism

Organization (CTO) – Hospitality Resources Conference in Antigua of April 2016, and he

also delegated at the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) sustainable and renewable

energy conference in St. Lucia in February 2017.

He contributed at the CHTA-CHIEF 2016 in Puerto Rico where he was a presenter on

environmental sustainability. He also participated at the CHIEF 2017 where his hotel was the

first runner-up for environmental sustainability in the Caribbean.

He currently serves as a hotel association director for St. Kitts-Nevis. His role on the board is

specifically to lead local and international training development programs. The results of

those programs were greatly appreciated as it presented institutions such as world renowned

“fling bar institute” A UK bar institute which train bartenders on product knowledge and

sharpens their skillset. The program lasted five days and included hotels and restaurant

workers in the federation. He also led for the very first time to St. Kitts the US renowned

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culinary corporation “Chef Serving Chef” who are responsible for training in food safety

theory and practical, and has trained a total of fifteen hotel employees in St. Kitts-Nevis. He

is actively sponsoring tourism education through the primary and secondary schools,

conducting group familiarizing tours at the hotel, doing feature addresses and

commencement speeches for secondary and vocational schools, and constantly mobilizing

employee to patronize and facilitate sponsorship for young adults and students throughout St.

Kitts-Nevis.

Chris Ghita sits on multiple boards contributing and sharing his wealth of knowledge with

others around him. An active member, of the Chamber of Commerce he overlooks

nominations and confirmation when required. He is as also a director on the St. Kitts-Nevis

junior achievement board, and sits on the TDC board of directors as the hotel representative.

Mr. Ghita is also a corporate member of the ROC 90 Association where past students of the

Washington Archibald High School receive sponsored mentorship and employment

opportunities from the Association. . He is on the Tourism & Hospitality Advisory

committee for programs offered in Tourism Events and Attraction Management which is

under the Eastern Caribbean Institute of Tourism (ECIT). The objective of the Eastern

Caribbean Institute of Tourism (ECIT) is to coordinate, develop and provide relevant and

quality accredited training and education that support a qualified and skilled workforce

serving all levels within a diversified tourism and hospitality sector.

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Achievements in Caribbean Hotel Operations

Chris Ghita, spent nine years of his life in hotel operations from a very early age. It is

remarkable that as an understudy he was able to submerse himself in all areas of the Spice

Island Beach Resort. His first nine years of the hotel industry enabled him to embark upon a

fulfilling journey as he held countless roles such as a; Purchasing Agent, Cost Controller,

Safety Auditor and Menu Engineer to name a few. At age 29, Mr. Ghita secured his first

executive job as Operations Manager/General Manager of the Mount Cinnamon Hotel in

Grenada, his main responsibilities were Recruiting, Marketing and the remodeling of the 21

bedroom turnkey apartments.

Working on the islands of St. Lucia, Palm Island in the Grenadines, Antigua, Jamaica and

now St. Kitts, Mr. Ghita, has placed emphasis on industrial skillset training, customer service

and professional ethics training. It is imperative to note that before Mr. Ghita, ran the Galley

Bay Resort & Spa in Antigua, he was the training and development manager for the hotel.

Mr. Ghita, has been active in the area of training and development not only for the employees

who he manages but for everyone who is in need of improvement. One of his mottos is

“training is everyday regardless of the occupancy levels”. He is also an invigilator and

consultant trainer for various vocational schools and standalone restaurants. Mr. Ghita, has

led a team of managers and employees on the beautiful island of St. Kitts, towards a path and

mantra “relentless in the pursuit of excellence”. Currently enrolled in the Hospitality Assured

Program and due to be assessed in January of 2018, Mr. Ghita, is very confident with the

dynamic team spirit, innovativeness and servitude way of treating every customer. Achieving

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that award of excellence will not only elevate the island tourism product, but create more

awareness for the younger generation on the passion and care the product should be treated

with.

Living modestly as child, he sees conservation, recycling and reusing as the only option for

sustainability. Throughout the years in hotel management, initiatives such as composting,

recycling wet food for farmers and separating solids from liquids was an automatic habit

inculcated from a very tender age, and as one investor described him “ET” abbreviated

“Everything Tight”.

As a Caribbean cuisine paramour, partnered with his love for farming, he has been able to

create a healthy, flavorful environment in the kitchen with his Head Chef. Together, they

were able to devise different ways to keep the tropical flavors thriving. With a strong

influence in the kitchen, Mr. Ghita was able to host journalist Jazmyne Byrd for dinner at the

main restaurant of the Ocean Terrace Inn (OTI), The Verandah, through the St. Kitts

Restaurant Week press trip. During that time she was able to partake in the fine cuisine

offered from the Head Chef. The dish was most astonishing, unique and tasteful this scored

the Ocean Terrace Inn (OTI) a two page article in the December issue of the Sheen

Magazine. Entitled, “Remixing Your Holiday with Tropical Flavors”, the article highlights

the Head Chef’s, yam butter sauce, over yam dumplings, paired with yam crusted Mahi as a

new recipe to add to holiday menus.

Mr. Ghita, is not only a strong supporter of environmental best-friendly practices for hotels,

but he consistently obligates his staff and other resources to cleaning up dense areas of

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communities and coastal lines in St. Kitts. He religiously invites the students to his hotel to

be a part of educational and sustainable best practices, events and conferences that will give

them the exposure and education that will help them to better understand how we should

serve our destination. To further facilitate these practices a water tank with a gutter and

sprinkler system was also installed and sits in view of all students to remind them of the

importance in catching and recycling water.

The Ocean Terrace Inn (OTI) has won several awards due to the outstanding performance

and team all led by Mr. Ghita. In 2016, he was awarded the best and most eco-friendliest

hotel in St. Kitts-Nevis by Skyview Maps. In 2016-2017, Ocean Terrace Inn (OTI) was

nominated for most sustainable business in St. Kitts & Nevis by the St. Kitts Tourism

Authority. In 2016, Ocean Terrace Inn (OTI) was awarded the most sustainable new business

by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce. In 2017, the hotel was awarded “The

Excellence” award from the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. The hotel received the award for the

“Long Serving and Corporate Benefactor”, by the Advance Vocational Education Center

(AVEC) in 2017.

In both 2016 and 2017 Ocean Terrace Inn (OTI) awarded two students from the Clarence

Fitzroy Bryant Community College for excellence in culinary arts.

In 2017, the Ocean Terrace Inn (OTI) was able to create an opportunity where, a one year

internship program for two students from the Associate degree program would be eligible to

gain firsthand knowledge from the Ocean Terrace Inn (OTI).

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List of Certificates Received

MBA- International Hospitality & Tourism- Southpoint University UK (one year left before completion)

Certified Pool & Spa Operator – National Swimming Pool Foundation USA

Diploma in Wines of the World- George Brown University Canada

Diploma in Restaurant & Bar Organization- George Brown University Canada

Certificate of Completion in Business Management- St. Georges University Grenada

CHDT- Certified Hospitality Department Trainer – AH & LE Institute USA

CHA- In Pursuit- AH & LE

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Supporting Details

http://www.hotel-online.com/News/PR2007_1st/Jan07_CGhita.html

https://www.winnfm.com/press-releases/20335-ocean-terrace-inn-partners-with-irish-town-

primary-school-towards-environmental-sustainability

http://sknchamber.com/skn-chamber-celebrates-members-oti/

https://zizonline.com/oti-invites-international-celebrity-chef-to-train-employees/

http://caribbeangraphic.ca/commentary-st-kitts-ocean-terrace-inn-thriving-under-chris-

ghitas-superb-management/

https://www.sknvibes.com/news/newsdetails.cfm/94771

https://winnfm.com/press-releases/22394-ocean-terrace-inn-s-green-initiatives-recognized-at-

chta-s-chief-conference

https://www.sknvibes.com/news/newsdetails.cfm/101145

https://zizonline.com/oti-invites-international-bar-services-consultant-to-train-bartenders/

https://zizonline.com/oti-giving-back/